I'm Not Opposed To A Little Lipstick

Last night I overheard my eldest son asking his daddy, "Why do women like to wear makeup?"

My husband replied, "So that men will like them and think they're cute."

He went on to tell my son that women wear makeup because of sexism and gender oppression and because women are brainwashed by society to believe they are unattractive without it.

(Insert eye roll here.)

Since he chose to marry yours truly, a woman who has, in the 20 years he's known me, never been without at least four tubes of lipstick in my bag at the same time, I can't take his pontificating on the evils of makeup too seriously. Obviously, he's not exactly opposed to a little lipstick... or any other makeup for that matter.

Besides, I'm not BFF's with my trusty MAC concealer because I want some man to think I'm cute. Insomniacs like myself need that concealer to keep from looking like we just rolled out of a crypt! The half dead zombie look is not the business.

But maybe I'm brainwashed since I've never thought there's anything wrong with women wearing makeup. It's always been normal to me.

When I was around 13 years old, I remember my mom taking me to the drugstore and buying me some very natural looking foundation, powder, lipstick, blush, eyeshadow, eye pencil and mascara. She even taught me how to apply it so I didn't look like a circus clown.

My mom didn't make me wear it. I wanted to. She also didn't teach me that a woman was nothing without makeup. She just believed that not looking your best, and thinking other people should be subjected to you not looking your best, was the essence of vanity. So the way I grew up, tasteful makeup is one way you can look your best.

Don't believe it's about looking your best? Ask yourself, would you rather see pimples on a teenager, or have those suckers concealed with a bit of makeup?

Given that my mom was pretty relaxed about makeup when I was a teenager, I remember being positively bewildered back in 1986 by the episode of The Cosby Show where Cliff and Clair flip out when their 13 year-old daughter, Vanessa, comes home from school with some eye makeup on.

I never "got" how Vanessa could date but not wear makeup. Did Cliff and Clair figure since Vanessa didn't have any lipstick on, the boys wouldn't want to kiss her?

That's not to say I'm against letting your natural beauty shine. I frequently go out of the house without makeup, especially if I'm going running. I also drop my kids off at school and go to the grocery store, all without makeup.

Am I sometimes a little self-conscious without makeup? Yes.

For example, the picture of me for my Good Housekeeping article is me with zero makeup. When I look at the picture, I'm not worried men (or women) won't find me attractive. I just felt a little self conscious being post half-marathon run sweaty and without makeup in the photo. But in the end, how cool that people get to see me in a magazine period, especially after such a huge accomplishment.

I guess I figure people have been wearing makeup since at least Egyptian times so what's the big deal? Why this persistent belief that if a woman wears makeup she's only doing it for a man or somehow feels less than without it?

Am I being Neo in the Matrix on this issue? Should I be considering how giving up my lipstick could enlighten me?